JP5126271B2 - Long sensor - Google Patents

Description

  The present invention relates to a sensor for detecting a foreign object, and more particularly to a long sensor for detecting a foreign object sandwiched between a vehicle body and an opening / closing body such as a door in a vehicle such as an automobile.

  Conventionally, in a vehicle such as a so-called one-box car, a passenger door is greatly opened and closed to improve passenger access, and a sliding door that slides along the vehicle body is provided so that the door is not separated from the body. Some have. In recent years, it is known to automatically open and close the slide door using a motor or the like.

  In such a door opening / closing system, it is necessary to prevent any foreign matter (for example, a human body or clothes) from being caught during the automatic closing of the sliding door. Therefore, a sensor for detecting a foreign object and a mechanism for stopping the slide door and controlling the reverse rotation in the opening direction when the foreign object is detected by the sensor are provided. Here, as the sensor, there has been proposed a capacitance type sensor in which two opposing electrodes are disposed inside a long covering.

  Capacitance type sensors detect foreign matter based on changes in capacitance measured through electrodes, and non-contact foreign matter having a relatively large capacitance, such as the human body. It can be detected. In order to improve the detection accuracy for a foreign substance having a relatively small capacitance, a method of providing a space between both electrodes has been proposed (see, for example, Patent Document 1). According to this method, even when the pressure at the time of foreign object contact is relatively small, the distance between both electrodes can be changed greatly. As a result, the amount of change in capacitance can be increased, and foreign objects can be detected with high accuracy.

JP 2000-329506 A

  However, according to the above technique, at least two electrodes are required. In addition, the two electrodes must be arranged at predetermined positions inside the long covering while maintaining the positional relationship between the two electrodes. For this reason, it is difficult to manufacture the sensor. That is, the above technique is not necessarily advantageous in terms of the number of parts and the manufacturing work, and as a result, there is a possibility that the manufacturing cost increases.

  The present invention has been made in view of the above circumstances, and an object of the present invention is to provide a long sensor capable of suppressing the manufacturing cost while maintaining sufficient foreign object detection accuracy.

  In the following, each means suitable for solving the above-described object will be described in terms of items. In addition, the effect specific to the means to respond | corresponds as needed is added.

Means 1. An attachment base attached to a metal edge of an opening / closing body capable of opening and closing an opening provided in the vehicle body;
A skin cover portion that bulges from the mounting base toward the periphery of the opening, and has a hollow portion inside;
An insulator having flexibility and inserted in the hollow portion;
A long sensor provided with a plate-like electrode facing the mounting base and at least a part of which is embedded in the insulator,
In the hollow portion, a gap is provided between the electrode and the mounting base,
The electrode is a positive electrode, the mounting base is a negative electrode as a ground,
Based on a change in electrostatic capacitance between the electrode and the earth minus electrode, it detects proximity and / or contact of foreign matter to the skin cover part ,
A long sensor characterized in that a cover-side protrusion that protrudes toward the insulator is provided on an inner peripheral surface of the skin cover .

  According to the above means 1, since the mounting base is used as a ground negative electrode, even if only one electrode is provided, foreign matter is detected based on the capacitance between the electrode and the mounting base. Can do. Therefore, the material cost can be reduced as compared with the case where two electrodes are provided. Further, according to the above means 1, in manufacturing the sensor, the insulator in which the electrodes are embedded so as to have a predetermined positional relationship with respect to the mounting base without requiring the work of adjusting the positional relationship between the electrodes. All you need to do is arrange. As a result, the sensor can be manufactured very easily, and the manufacturing cost can be significantly reduced in combination with the suppression of the material cost.

  Further, in view of the detection sensitivity of the foreign matter by the long sensor of the present means 1, for foreign matters having a relatively large capacitance such as a human body, the electrode and the mounting base (earth minus pole) are in contact with the sensor when approaching the sensor. Since the capacitance between them changes relatively greatly, it can be detected with high sensitivity without contact. Furthermore, since a gap is provided between the electrode and the mounting base, for foreign matter having a small capacitance or a foreign matter having a small contact area such as a pencil, the foreign matter contacts the sensor (skin cover). As the gap portion is crushed and deformed, the capacitance changes greatly. That is, according to the above means 1, it is possible to detect not only a human body and the like but also a foreign substance having a relatively small capacitance and contact area with high sensitivity.

In addition, in order to exhibit the effect by the said means 1 more reliably, in the said gap | interval part, it is desirable to make the maximum value of the distance between the said electrode and an attachment base into 0.5 mm or more. On the other hand, even if the crushing deformation amount of the gap portion is the same, as the distance between the electrode and the mounting base portion increases, the amount of change in capacitance between the two decreases. Therefore, it is desirable that the maximum value of the distance between the electrode and the mounting base in the gap is 3.0 mm or less.
Further, according to the means 1, the gap portion can be more reliably crushed and deformed even if the deformation amount of the skin cover portion due to the contact of the foreign matter is relatively small. Thereby, the foreign matter detection accuracy can be further improved.

Mean 2. The surface facing the mounting base of the electrode is covered with the insulator,
The long sensor according to means 1, wherein a thickness of a covering portion covering the opposing surface of the electrode in the insulator is set to 50 µm or more and 300 µm or less.

  According to the said means 2, it is comprised so that an electrode may not be exposed to the surface of an insulator by providing a coating | coated part. Accordingly, when the gap portion is crushed and deformed, such as when a foreign object comes into contact with the sensor, it is possible to prevent the electrode from coming into contact with the mounting base, and to prevent wear of the electrode. As a result, it is possible to detect foreign matter with higher sensitivity over a longer period of time.

  In order to exhibit the electrode wear prevention effect for a sufficiently long period, the thickness of the covering portion is preferably 50 μm or more, and more preferably 100 μm or more. However, if the thickness of the covering portion is excessively increased, the foreign substance detection sensitivity may be reduced. Therefore, in order to maintain excellent detection sensitivity, the thickness of the covering portion is preferably 300 μm or less, and more preferably 200 μm or less.

  Means 3. The long sensor according to means 1 or 2, wherein the insulator is provided with an insulator-side protruding portion that protrudes toward the skin cover portion.

  According to the means 3, the distance between the insulator and the skin cover portion can be made relatively small by the insulator-side protrusion provided on the insulator. Therefore, the insulator can be deformed even when the deformation amount of the skin cover portion when the foreign matter comes into contact is small, and the gap portion can be more reliably crushed and deformed. As a result, the foreign matter detection accuracy can be further improved.

Means 4 . The long sensor according to any one of means 1 to 3 , wherein a space portion made of air is provided between the skin cover portion and the insulator.

  In the case where there is no gap between the covering and the electrode as in the technique described in Patent Document 1, if water adheres to the sensor or the periphery of the sensor due to rain or the like, the capacitance is relatively low. It will change greatly. Therefore, there is a possibility that an erroneous determination due to adhesion of water droplets may occur.

In this regard, according to the above means 4 , a space portion (gap) filled with air and having a relatively low dielectric constant is provided between the skin cover portion and the insulator. Therefore, the amount of change in capacitance when water droplets adhere can be made relatively small, and as a result, the occurrence of erroneous determination can be prevented more reliably.

It is a perspective view which shows the vehicle which comprises a sliding door. It is a block diagram which shows electric structures, such as ECU. It is the JJ sectional view taken on the line in FIG. It is a partial expanded sectional view of a long sensor. (A) is an expanded sectional view of a long sensor showing a state in which water droplets are in contact with the skin cover part, and (b) is an enlarged sectional view of the long sensor showing a state in which a foreign object approaches the long sensor. is there. It is an expanded sectional view of a long sensor when a foreign substance is in a contact state. It is an expanded sectional view of the elongate sensor in another embodiment. It is an expanded sectional view of the elongate sensor in another embodiment.

  Hereinafter, an embodiment will be described with reference to the drawings.

  FIG. 1 is a schematic perspective view of a vehicle equipped with a sliding door. As shown in the figure, the vehicle 1 has a metal sliding door 2 (corresponding to the “opening / closing body” of the present invention) on the side surface of the body. The slide door 2 is supported on the side of the body by a slide rail 3 provided at the center of the side of the body and slide rails (not shown) provided on the ceiling and floor sides of the body side. The sliding door 2 is between a fully closed position shown in the figure where the entrance / exit 4 as an opening shown on the side of the body is fully closed and a fully open position (see the two-dot chain line in the figure) where the entrance / exit 4 is fully opened. It is configured to slide along the side of the body and open / close the entrance 4. The slide door 2 is in a state of being grounded (grounded) via the components of the vehicle 1.

  A locking mechanism (not shown) that engages the body and the slide door 2 is provided between the rear end surface of the door pillar 5 of the body and the front side panel of the slide door 2. When the slide door 2 is slid to the fully closed position shown in the drawing, the slide door 2 is configured to be locked at the fully closed position by the lock mechanism.

  An automatic opening / closing mechanism (not shown) is provided inside the slide door 2. The automatic opening / closing mechanism slides the sliding door 2 at least in the fully open position to the fully closed position. In addition, as shown in FIG. 2, the automatic opening / closing mechanism includes a drive motor 11 that opens and closes the slide door 2, and an electronic control unit (ECU) 12 that controls the drive motor 11. The ECU 12 receives a closing command signal or the like from an operation switch 13 disposed in the driver's seat, a remote controller (remote controller) switch 14 disposed in the vehicle compartment, or the like. Further, the ECU 12 can grasp the current position of the slide door 2 (including the fully opened position and the fully closed position) based on a signal from the drive motor 11 or a separate detection sensor (not shown). It has become.

  When the closing command signal is input when the entrance / exit 4 is in the open state (for example, the slide door 2 is in the fully open position), the ECU 12 controls the drive motor 11 to rotate forward. As a result, the sliding door 2 is slid to the fully closed position and locked at the fully closed position. When the locking is completed, the operation of the drive motor 11 is stopped.

  Furthermore, in this embodiment, the long sensor 21 which can detect that the foreign material exists in the clearance gap between the said slide door 2 and the entrance / exit 4 periphery is provided in the edge part of the slide door 2. As shown in FIG. The long sensor 21 is electrically connected to the capacitance measuring means 15, and the capacitance measuring means 15 is electrically connected to the ECU 12. Here, the capacitance measuring means 15 is configured to be able to measure a capacitance between an electrode 26 and a mounting base 22 (slide door 2), which will be described later, every predetermined time, and the measured capacitance ( Information) is transmitted to the ECU 12. In the present embodiment, the ECU 12 determines that the change rate of the transmitted capacitance with respect to the capacitance (reference capacitance) measured immediately before is larger than the preset threshold value. It is detected that foreign matter is present in the gap with the periphery of the entrance / exit 4. Then, the closing operation of the drive motor 11 is temporarily stopped, and reverse drive control for moving the slide door 2 in the opening direction is performed. That is, ECU12 is comprised so that the function as a stop control means may also be exhibited. The threshold value is set to such a value that no erroneous determination occurs when a water droplet adheres to the long sensor 21 and its surroundings (the ECU 12 does not determine that a foreign object exists).

  Next, details of the long sensor 21 and the like will be described. 3 is a cross-sectional view taken along the line JJ of FIG. 1 showing the front edge of the slide door 2, the door pillar 5 of the body, and the like. As shown in FIG. 3, a weather strip 51 is provided on a flange 5a that extends vertically along the rear end side of the door pillar 5 of the body. The weather strip 51 seals between the body and the slide door 2 when the slide door 2 is slid to the fully closed position. Note that immediately before the sliding door 2 is fully closed, the sliding door 2 is positioned obliquely lower right in the figure from the fully closed position.

  The weather strip 51 is obtained by extrusion molding, and includes an attachment base 52 that is inserted into and fixed to the flange 5a, and a hollow seal portion 53. In the present embodiment, the mounting base 52 is made of EPDM solid rubber, and the seal portion 53 is made of EPDM sponge rubber. The seal portion 53 is pressed and deformed by being pressed by the inner panel of the slide door 2 so that the seal function is exhibited.

  Next, the long sensor 21 will be described. In the present embodiment, the long sensor 21 is attached over almost the entire region of the front end 2b of the slide door 2 facing the door pillar 5 of the body. For this reason, when the slide door 2 is slid to its fully closed position, it is determined whether or not foreign matter exists over the entire area between the rear side surface of the door pillar 5 and the front end edge of the slide door 2 facing the door pillar 5. It can be detected.

  Further, the long sensor 21 includes a first sensor component 21A and a second sensor component 21B.

  As shown in FIG. 4, the first sensor component 21 </ b> A includes an attachment base 22 that is fixed to the front end 2 b of the slide door 2, and a skin cover 23 that bulges from the attachment base 22 toward the door pillar 5. It has.

  The mounting base portion 22 is formed by extruding EPDM solid rubber, and includes a base portion 22A and a pair of side wall portions 22B and 22C extending from the base portion 22A to the side opposite to the skin cover portion 23. It has. In addition, a pair of projecting portions 22P1 and 22P2 projecting toward the door pillar 5 are formed at both end edges of the base portion 22A. In the present embodiment, portions of the protrusions 22P1 and 22P2 on the side of the hollow portion 24 described later are tapered inclined surfaces SA1 and SA2. In addition, a metal insert 22N is embedded in the mounting base 22.

  The skin cover portion 23 is made of EPDM sponge rubber and has a circular arc shape that bulges from the protrusions 22P1 and 22P2 toward the door pillar 5 side. In addition, a hollow portion 24 is formed inside the skin cover portion 23, and the skin cover portion 23 is formed relatively thin. Therefore, the skin cover portion 23 can be easily deformed when a foreign object or the like contacts.

  Further, the second sensor constituting body 21 </ b> B is disposed in the hollow portion 24. The second sensor component 21 </ b> B includes an elongated insulator 25 and an electrode 26 embedded in the insulator 25.

  The insulator 25 is formed by extruding a flexible insulating material [for example, olefin-based thermoplastic elastomer (TPO) or the like]. The insulator 25 has an insulator-side protrusion 25P that protrudes toward the skin cover portion 23 side. Further, a pair of leg portions 25L1 and 25L2 are provided in a portion of the insulator 25 on the mounting base 22 side, and the leg portions 25L1 and 25L2 are in contact with the inclined surfaces SA1 and SA2.

  The electrode 26 is a strip-shaped flat knitted copper wire (a flat copper wire) having excellent durability against bending and twisting, and is disposed so as to face the base portion 22A of the mounting base 22. Yes. Further, the surface of the electrode 26 that faces the mounting base portion 22 is covered with the covering portion 25 </ b> C of the insulator 25 without being exposed to the surface of the insulator 25. The thickness of the covering portion 25C is 50 μm or more and 300 μm or less (more preferably, 100 μm or more and 200 μm or less).

  The leg portions 25L1 and 25L2 of the insulator 25 are directed in a direction intersecting with the orthogonal direction of the surface facing the mounting base portion 22 of the electrode 26 (in the present embodiment, toward the width direction of the base portion 22A). It is configured to extend. Therefore, when a pressing force is applied to the long sensor 21 from the door pillar 5 side, the base portions of the leg portions 25L1 and 25L2 are bent, and as a result, the electrode 26 approaches the mounting base portion 22 (base portion 22A). It comes to contact. In the present embodiment, the hardness of at least the portions constituting the leg portions 25L1 and 25L2 is 30 degrees or more and 60 degrees or less in Shore A value. Therefore, the base portions of the leg portions 25L1 and 25L2 are bent relatively easily.

Further, cover-side protrusions 23P1 and 23P2 that protrude toward the insulator 25 (insulator-side protrusion 25P) are formed on the base 22A side of the inner peripheral surface of the skin cover part 23. Further, the interval between the cover-side protrusions 23P1 and 23P2 is made narrower than the interval between the ends of the leg portions 25L1 and 25L2. This restricts relative movement of the leg portions 25L1 and 25L2 toward the door pillar 5 with respect to the cover-side protrusions 23P1 and 23P2, and as a result, the relative relationship of the second sensor structure 21B with respect to the first sensor structure 21A. Rotation is regulated. Thereby, sensing conditions can be stabilized. (Capacitance change can be detected stably.)
In addition, a gap 27 is formed between the surface of the insulator 25 on the base 22A side and the surface of the mounting base 22 (base 22A). In the gap portion 27, the maximum value of the distance between the electrode 26 and the mounting base portion 22 is 0.5 mm or more.

  Further, the electrode 26 is electrically connected to a charge supply device (not shown), and a predetermined charge is supplied from the charge supply device. On the other hand, the attachment base 22 is attached to the slide door 2 and is in a grounded state. Therefore, a capacitor is constituted by the electrode 26 and the mounting base 22 (ground minus pole) grounded. Further, the capacitance measuring means 15 is connected to the electrode 26, and at least the capacitance between the electrode 26 and the mounting base 22 (earth minus electrode) is measured by the capacitance measuring means 15. It has become so. When a foreign object approaches the periphery of the long sensor 21, the electrostatic capacity measured by the electrostatic capacity measuring unit 15 changes by the amount of the electrostatic capacity of the foreign object.

  Further, in the hollow portion 24, a space portion 28 filled with air is provided between the inner peripheral surface of the skin cover portion 23 and the surface of the insulator 25 on the skin cover portion 23 side. In the space portion 28, the maximum value of the distance between the skin cover portion 23 and the insulator 25 is 0.5 mm or more.

  Next, a method for manufacturing the above-described long sensor 21 will be described.

  First, with respect to an extrusion molding machine (not shown) provided with a die (not shown) for molding the first sensor component 21A, an EPDM unvulcanized rubber constituting the attachment base 22 and a skin The EPDM unvulcanized foam rubber constituting the cover portion 23 is continuously supplied together with the insert 22N. Thereby, the 1st intermediate molded object (not shown) used as the said 1st sensor structure 21A is extrusion-molded from the said die | dye. In addition, the site | part corresponded to the attachment base 22 among 1st intermediate molded objects is shape | molded by the substantially flat shape in the open state. Next, the obtained first intermediate molded body is conveyed to a predetermined vulcanization tank, and the first intermediate molded body is vulcanized and foamed with hot air, high frequency, or the like in the vulcanization tank. Next, the first intermediate molded body is bent, and the mounting base portion 22 has the predetermined shape and is cut to a predetermined length, whereby the first sensor constituting body 21A is obtained.

  Next, the plasticized TPO and the electrode 26 are continuously supplied to an extrusion molding machine (not shown) having a die (not shown) for molding the second sensor structure 21B. To do. Thereby, the 2nd intermediate molded object (not shown) used as the 2nd sensor structure 21B is extrusion-molded from the said die | dye. Next, the second intermediate molded body is cooled and solidified, and cut into a predetermined length. Thereby, the 2nd sensor structure 21B is obtained.

  Thereafter, the second sensor component 21B is inserted into the hollow portion 24 of the first sensor component 21A while maintaining the positional relationship of the second sensor component 21B with respect to the first sensor component 21A at a predetermined position. Furthermore, the above-described long sensor 21 can be obtained by providing the electrode 26 with electrical connection means for the capacitance measuring means 15.

  Next, a foreign object detection method using the long sensor 21 described above will be described with reference to FIGS. 5A shows a state (water droplet contact state) in which the water droplet DW adheres to the long sensor 21 (skin cover portion 23), and FIG. 5B shows a capacitance of a human body or the like. A relatively large foreign object S1 is shown approaching the long sensor 21. Further, FIG. 6 shows a state (contact state) in which the foreign matter S2 (for example, an insulator having a relatively small size such as a pen tip) is in contact with the skin cover part 23.

  As shown in FIG. 5A, when the water droplet DW adheres to the long sensor 21, a space portion 28 filled with air is interposed between the water droplet DW and the electrode 26. For this reason, the amount of change in capacitance measured by the capacitance measuring means 15 is relatively small. Therefore, the change rate of the capacitance is smaller than the preset threshold value, and the ECU 12 determines that no foreign matter exists (that is, the ECU 12 detects the water droplet DW attached to the long sensor 21 as a foreign matter. Is not determined).

  On the other hand, as shown in FIG. 5B, when the foreign matter S1 such as a human body comes close to the long sensor 21, the foreign matter S1 has a relatively high water content, and therefore the space 28 is interposed. Even so, the amount of change in the capacitance is sufficiently large. Therefore, when the foreign object S1 approaches, the change rate of the capacitance exceeds the threshold value, and the ECU 12 determines that there is a foreign object. In other words, the foreign matter S1 such as a human body is detected at the stage of approaching the long sensor 21.

  On the other hand, when the foreign matter S2 having a relatively small insulator or moisture content or having a relatively small size approaches or comes into contact, the amount of change in capacitance is relatively small. Therefore, the change rate of the capacitance can be smaller than the threshold value.

  In this case, as shown in FIG. 6, the foreign object S2 cannot be detected only by the foreign object S2 approaching the long sensor 21, and the foreign object S2 contacts the long sensor 21 (skin cover portion 23). It will be. At this time, the base portions of the leg portions 25L1 and 25L2 are bent and the gap portion 27 is crushed and deformed, so that the capacitance between the electrode 26 and the mounting base portion 22 is greatly changed. For this reason, the rate of change of the capacitance also becomes large, and the ECU 12 detects that the foreign matter S2 exists.

  As described above in detail, according to the present embodiment, since the attachment base 22 is used as the ground negative electrode, even if the electrode to be provided is one electrode 26, the connection between the electrode 26 and the attachment base 22 Foreign matter can be detected based on the capacitance between the two. Therefore, the material cost can be reduced as compared with the case where two electrodes are provided. Moreover, when manufacturing the long sensor 21, the operation | movement which adjusts the positional relationship of electrodes is not required, but the electrode 26 is set so that it may become a predetermined positional relationship with respect to the attachment base 22 (1st sensor structure 21A). It is only necessary to arrange the insulator 25 (second sensor component 21B) in which is embedded. As a result, the sensor can be manufactured very easily, and the manufacturing cost can be significantly reduced in combination with the suppression of the material cost.

  Further, in view of the detection sensitivity of the foreign matter by the long sensor 21 of the present embodiment, for a foreign matter having a relatively large capacitance, such as a human body, the electrode 26 and the mounting base 22 (ground minus electrode) when approaching the sensor. ) Can be detected with high sensitivity without contact. Further, since a gap 27 is provided between the electrode 26 and the mounting base 22, the foreign matter having a small capacitance or a foreign matter having a small contact area such as a pencil is detected by the long sensor 21 (skin). By contacting the cover portion 23) and the gap portion 27 being crushed and deformed, the capacitance can be greatly changed. That is, according to the long sensor 21, not only a human body etc. but also a foreign substance with a comparatively small electrostatic capacitance or contact area can be detected with high sensitivity.

  Furthermore, since the covering portion 25C having a thickness of 50 μm or more and 300 μm or less is provided, the wear of the electrode 26 can be prevented more reliably over a longer period, and excellent detection accuracy of the foreign matter can be maintained. be able to.

  In addition, since the insulator-side protrusions 25P and the cover-side protrusions 23P1 and 23P2 are provided, the gap 27 is formed even if the amount of deformation of the skin cover part 23 when a foreign object contacts is small. It can be more reliably crushed and deformed. As a result, the foreign matter detection accuracy can be further improved.

  In addition, since the space portion 28 that is filled with air and has a relatively low relative dielectric constant is provided between the skin cover portion 23 and the insulator 25, the amount of change in capacitance when a water droplet adheres can be reduced. It can be relatively small. As a result, it is possible to more reliably prevent the occurrence of erroneous determination accompanying water droplet adhesion.

  In addition, it is not limited to the description content of the said embodiment, For example, you may implement as follows. Of course, other application examples and modification examples not illustrated below are also possible.

  (A) In the above embodiment, the leg portions 25L1, 25L2 of the insulator 25 extend along the width direction of the base portion 22A, and the leg portions 25L1, 25L2 abut on the inclined surfaces SA1, SA2 of the base portion 22A. The gap portion 27 is easily collapsed when a pressing force is applied to the insulator 25. On the other hand, as shown in FIG. 7, the legs 35L1 and 35L2 of the insulator 35 are formed in a substantially C-shaped cross section extending obliquely with respect to the width direction of the base portion 32B. When the pressing force is applied to the gap portion 37, the gap portion 37 may be crushed.

  (B) In the above embodiment, the cover side protrusions 23P1 and 23P2 extending from the inner peripheral surface of the skin cover portion 23 to the insulator 25 side are provided, so that the skin cover portion 23 (first sensor component 21A) is provided. The relative rotation of the insulator 25 (second sensor component 21B) is restricted. On the other hand, as shown in FIG. 7, by providing protrusions 32 </ b> P <b> 1 and 32 </ b> P <b> 2 that protrude from the inner peripheral surface (surface on the hollow portion side) of the mounting base 32, relative rotation of the insulator 35 with respect to the skin cover portion 33 It is good also as restricting.

  Moreover, the site | part which provides a protrusion is not limited to the skin cover part 23 (33) and the attachment base 22 (32), For example, the skin cover part 23 (33) side from the outer peripheral surface of the insulator 25 (35) It is good also as providing a protrusion so that it may protrude.

  (C) In the above embodiment, the cover-side protrusions 23P1 and 23P2 of the skin cover portion 23 are not in contact with the insulator 25. However, as shown in FIG. The cover side protrusions 46P1 and 46P2 of the skin cover part 46 may be configured so as to be in contact with each other. In this case, the shape of the space 48 can be more reliably maintained, and the gap 47 can be more easily crushed and deformed when a pressing force is applied to the skin cover 46. As a result, foreign matter can be detected more reliably.

  (D) In the embodiment described above, the ECU 12 detects the foreign matter based on the change rate of the capacitance, but may detect the foreign matter based on the change amount of the capacitance. In addition, an oscillation circuit is electrically connected to the electrode 26 and, instead of the capacitance measuring means 15, a frequency signal for measuring a frequency signal corresponding to an oscillation output from the oscillation circuit according to a change in capacitance with time A measuring means may be provided, and foreign matter may be detected based on the frequency signal measured by the frequency measuring means.

  (E) In the above embodiment, the electrode 26 is composed of a flat knitted copper wire. However, the electrode 26 may be composed of a metal foil made of a metal material having high electrical conductivity, a strip-shaped carbon-containing material (conductive resin), or the like. .

  (F) In the above embodiment, TPO is exemplified as a material for forming the insulator 25. However, the insulator 25 may be formed of other flexible materials such as EPDM sponge rubber.

  (G) In the above embodiment, the mounting base 22 is configured to include the insert 22N, but the insert 22N may be omitted.

  (H) In the said embodiment, it has actualized about the case where it has the slide door 2 for opening and closing the entrance / exit 4 provided in the body side surface. That is, the opening / closing body in the above embodiment is the slide door 2. On the other hand, it is good also as applying the technical idea of this invention to another opening-closing body (for example, non-sliding type). Examples of the other opening / closing body include a hatchback type back door whose upper portion is supported, a sliding roof that opens and closes the vehicle ceiling, and a door glass that opens and closes the door window.

  DESCRIPTION OF SYMBOLS 1 ... Vehicle, 2 ... Sliding door (opening-closing body), 4 ... Entrance / exit (opening), 21 ... Long sensor, 22 ... Mounting base, 23 ... Skin cover part, 23P1, 23P2 ... Cover side protrusion, 24 ... Hollow part, 25 ... insulator, 25L1, 25L2 ... leg part, 25C ... covering part, 25P ... insulator-side protruding part, 26 ... electrode, 27 ... gap part, 28 ... space part.

Claims (4)

An attachment base attached to a metal edge of an opening / closing body capable of opening and closing an opening provided in the vehicle body;
A skin cover portion that bulges from the mounting base toward the periphery of the opening, and has a hollow portion inside;
An insulator having flexibility and inserted in the hollow portion;
A long sensor provided with a plate-like electrode facing the mounting base and at least a part of which is embedded in the insulator,
In the hollow portion, a gap is provided between the electrode and the mounting base,
The electrode is a positive electrode, the mounting base is a negative electrode as a ground,
Based on a change in electrostatic capacitance between the electrode and the earth minus electrode, it detects proximity and / or contact of foreign matter to the skin cover part ,
A long sensor characterized in that a cover-side protrusion that protrudes toward the insulator is provided on an inner peripheral surface of the skin cover . The surface facing the mounting base of the electrode is covered with the insulator,
2. The long sensor according to claim 1, wherein a thickness of a covering portion that covers the facing surface of the electrode in the insulator is set to 50 μm or more and 300 μm or less.   The long sensor according to claim 1, wherein an insulator-side protrusion that protrudes toward the skin cover portion is provided on the insulator. The long sensor according to any one of claims 1 to 3 , wherein a space portion made of air is provided between the skin cover portion and the insulator.

Images